The dictation shortcut on Mac, and how to change it

The three ways to start Apple Dictation

• The Microphone key. Apple's MacBook and Magic Keyboard guides show it on F5. Press and release it to dictate; press and hold it for Siri, if Siri is on.
• The Dictation shortcut. Whatever you chose in Keyboard settings: a preset or your own combination.
• The menu. Edit > Start Dictation works in any app that has it, whatever your shortcut. It is the quickest way to tell a broken shortcut from broken Dictation.

To stop, press Escape, the Microphone key or your shortcut again. Steps below are for macOS 13 Ventura and later, checked against Apple's guide for macOS 27.

Change the Dictation shortcut

1. Open Keyboard settings. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar.
2. Find Dictation. Scroll to Dictation and make sure it is turned on.
3. Choose a shortcut. Click the Shortcut menu and pick a preset, such as pressing the fn or Globe key twice.
4. Or make your own. Choose Customize, then press the keys you want, for example Option-Z. Pick a combination no app you use already claims.

Use the fn or Globe key

5. Check what your key is called. Depending on your Mac model, Keyboard settings shows either "Press fn key to" or "Press Globe key to". Newer Apple keyboards print a globe on the key.
6. Set it to Start Dictation. Choose Start Dictation in that menu. Dictation then starts when you press the key twice.
7. Expect the two settings to move together. Choosing a fn or Globe Dictation shortcut can change the "Press fn key to" option automatically. If emoji or input switching stopped working, this is why.

The other choices in that fn or Globe menu are Change Input Source, Show Emoji & Symbols and Do Nothing. Only one can be active, so if you want the Globe key for emoji, give Dictation a custom shortcut instead.

When the shortcut does nothing

Try Edit > Start Dictation. If that works, re-pick the shortcut or choose a different custom combination; another app may be using yours. If nothing starts Dictation, check that Voice Control is off and go through the Mac dictation troubleshooting checklist. For the full setup, including languages and on-device processing, see how to dictate on Mac.

Hold any key instead

Apple's shortcut toggles a mode: press to start, press again or wait for 30 seconds of silence to stop (more on that). Dictate, the app we make, uses a key you hold. It defaults to Right Option, and any key can be the hold-to-talk key, including Fn, F18 or a spare key on a custom keyboard. Each keyboard you plug in can have its own key, remembered while it's unplugged.

If you pick Fn for Dictate, set "Press fn key to" or "Press Globe key to" to Do Nothing, or macOS will react to the key as well. Some external keyboards handle Fn internally and never send it to the Mac, so a different key is the answer there. Apple Dictation vs Dictate compares the two approaches.